Worship in Action is a long-term initiative to integrate a global, missional vision into Tallowood’s enterChange worship gatherings. Every three months, a new missions focus will intentionally and pervasively engage the people of Tallowood in unifying activities that promote worship as a way of life. This blog lets you track our community's journey to glorify God by participating in his mission in the world.
It seems like everytime I sit down to write an update I’m learning about more gifts that we are receiving from individuals and Sunday School classes! Finally I decided to just write an update and not worry if it is outdated by the time it gets posted. And lo and behold even as I was writing this update I learned about another monetary gift from one of our Sunday School classes and Cliff Lusk, our Associate Minister of Missions, walked into my office with another box of donated reading glasses. Suffice it to say we have been overwhelmed by your response and are humbled by your generosity toward the people of Fortaleza, Brazil. It is truly amazing to see our whole church get involved in this project, young and old, rich and poor, Saturday and Sunday, contemporary and traditional - it is an encouraging reminder that the love of Christ crosses all boundary lines. Thank you for letting that love be expressed through your gifts.
And now the update: we have met and surpassed each of our goals by a long shot! Once we passed 1,000 toothbrushes we were pretty sure that our original goal of 300 was a bit low. But it didn’t stop there. Every Monday I walk into my office and there are another 50, 100, 150 toothbrushes waiting for me! Currently we have 1,661 standard toothbrushes, as well as some toothpaste, some flossers, and one Barbie-themed electric toothbrush! We also asked you to give money to help us purchase 400 pairs of glasses at $10 per pair. So far you have given $8,339, enough to purchase over 830 pairs of glasses. However, instead of simply purchasing more glasses we are going to use the extra money to fund cataract surgeries for those who cannot be helped by corrective lenses. Finally, we asked you to give $5,000 to help purchase medications for the trip. So far you have given $7,561. What an incredible blessing! These items will help meet the physical needs of the people of Fortaleza and provide an open door for us to tell them about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your generosity!
There is still time to give, but all gifts must be received by this weekend, May 17-18. Please continue to pray for the team that God will give them safety in travel and wisdom as they care for medical needs, and that the Holy Spirit would move among the people of Fortaleza, Brazil and many would be reconciled to God.
Pray for the citizens of Myanmar as they cope with the effects of the latest disaster to befall them, a deadly cyclone that may have left as many as 22,000 dead, 41,000 missing and perhaps as many as one million homeless. Pray that God would direct the resources needed to rebuild infrastructure. Pray that God would bring peace to grieving families and friends. There may also be ways that you can be involved by giving to various international aid organizations like the Red Cross and the U.N. World Food Program. Click here to read more about the devastating cyclone.
We are halfway through our current Worship in Action emphasis and we’ve made some great progress toward our goals. We only have four weeks left, though, so don’t forget to bring in your donations by Sunday, May 25. The team leaves on May 30, so we’re pushing it to the very last moment! Here’s where we stand so far:
Our first goal is to collect 300 new toothbrushes to hand out at the clinic. So far we have received 136. (And we have unconfirmed sightings of 8-for-$1 sales at local dollar stores.)
Our second goal is to raise enough money to purchase 400 pairs of glasses at a cost of $10 each. These are the sets of interchangeable lenses and frames that will allow us to exactly match each patient’s prescription. So far we have raised enough to purchase 147.
Our third goal is to raise $5000 to help the team purchase medications for the trip. So far we have collected $2950.
The medical team can use all the help we give them, so thank you for your continued generosity. Keep praying that God will use the clinic as a tool that draws many people back to Him.
Tthere is still time for you to go on the Medical Mission trip to Fortaleza, Brazil that takes place May 30-June 7. We need laypeople to work in the eye clinic, participate in evangelism, and assist the medical teams. We also need medical professionals in any specialization, and are particularly looking for a dentist who would be willing to come. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting opportunity contact Cliff Lusk at clusk@tallowood.org.
On March 11 our team returned from Myanmar (Burma) where they conducted a training conference for pastors and distributed the money you raised for malaria medication to people that needed it most. Our Minister of Missions, Eddy Hallock, wrote the following report:
After a long trip of forty hours, we arrived in Myanmar in the city of Mandalay. This predominantly Buddhist nation was first introduced to the Gospel by Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson in the nineteenth century. He translated the Bible into the Burmese language and consequently many have believed in Christ as Savior and Lord.
Our group of four pastors went to lead a “continuing education renewal” conference for Burmese pastors. Through Worship in Action, Tallowood made it possible for over fifty pastors to travel to Mandalay from their towns in the countryside. Of the fifty-plus pastors that attended, more than thirty of them rode a boat for two days and three nights to arrive in time for the seminars. Most of the pastors were Baptists, but they invited their friends, so we had pastors from other denominations including Methodist, Brethren Church, Church of Christ, and Assembly of God. The fellowship among them was wonderful.
During the day we taught Pastoral Care/Discipleship, Evangelism, Homiletics, and Church Administration. The Burmese people are reserved and much slower to ask questions, but they eventually warmed up and seemed to enjoy the week very much. On Friday night there was a fellowship time and they shared some glowing testimonies of what the week meant to them.
As I talked and listened to the pastors and leaders in Burma, we came to the conclusion that the best way to use the funds you provided for malaria medication was for three different groups to divide the blessing. A boarding school started by Pastor Thong (the pastor of Tallowood’s Burmese congregation) made up of orphans and non-Christian families received 1.1 millian chats, equal to $1000 (US). Last year they only had the equivalent of $100 (US) to pay for medication. The seminary students in Mandalay are also very poor and cannot pay for treatment. They also received 1 million chats. Finally, two associations received the balance of the funds to help pastors and their families when in physical distress.
At our hotel we were able to make friends with some of the young people that work there. Apparently they were not used to being treated with courtesy and they seemed to really like our team since we talked with them, taught them English and asked questions. As a result of establishing a friendship with them I began talking about the possibility of studying and comparing Christianity and Buddhism. By the end of the week we were able to give out four Bibles to various staff members.
We visited some of the pagodas in the city where the people go to pray in front of a statue of Buddha. The pagodas are everywhere, as are Buddhist monks, who go out twice a day to beg for food. Some ethnic groups in this country, primarily in the north and northwest have been greatly touched by t he Gospel. Ethnic minorities like the Chin, Karin, and others are almost totally Christian. However, the ethnic Burmese majority is Buddhist, so the challenge is before the Christian community to reach out, be friends, share the Gospel, and offer eternal life through Christ.
Thank you for making it possible for many pastors from Myanmar to attend the conference, and for your generous gifts that will provide life-saving medication to many families.
Friends, there is still time for you to go on the Medical Mission trip to Fortaleza, Brazil that takes place May 30-June 7, but you need to act soon. We need laypeople to work in the eye clinic, participate in evangelism, and assist the medical teams. We also need medical professionals in any specialization, and are particularly looking for a dentist who would be willing to come. If you are interested in being a part of this exciting opportunity contact Cliff Lusk at clusk@tallowood.org.
A new Worship in Action emphasis has launched! For the next two months we will be partnering with the Brazil Medical Mission trip as they bring much-needed medical care to the slums of Fortaleza, Brazil. Meeting the physical needs of the people gives the team an open door to address their spiritual needs as well. A team of evangelists will present the Gospel to every patient that walks through the door.
The team will be in Brazil from May 30-June 7 and will be converting a church in the heart of Fortaleza’s poorest districts into a medical clinic. There they will provide medical services across a wide range of specializations to people who cannot otherwise afford it. Eight hundred people will pass through the clinic each day, meaning hundreds more will be turned away. Many will choose to wait overnight to keep their place in line. The sheer volume of patients means that a well-stocked pharmacy is critical. We want to raise $5000 to purchase medications for the trip.
The team will also be running an eye clinic using a portable instrument called a Focometer to find corrective lens prescriptions for hundreds of people. The workers will then attempt to find the correct prescription among thousands of donated used glasses. This work is time-consuming as it is often difficult to find a pair of glasses that exactly matches the prescription. However, the developers of the Focometer have also developed a one-size-fits-all frame with lenses that can be snapped in to fit the prescription of the patient. Each pair of these glasses costs only $10. Our goal is to purchase 400 pairs of glasses.
The medical mission team also loves to give out toothbrushes, especially to the children. The Brazilian diet is full of sugar, particularly among the poor. Sugar is cheap because sugar cane is so abundant in this tropical nation. However, dental care is poor leading to many dental problems throughout the society. Even something as simple as a toothbrush can make a big difference to a child’s dental health. We want to collect 300 new toothbrushes for the team to distribute in Fortaleza.
As the medical team works to mend the wounds of the poorest of the poor, they will have a wonderful opportunity to point the people toward the Great Healer, the Mender of souls. Don’t miss your chance to support this team with your gifts.
Even in the midst of a predominantly Buddhist nation like Myanmar (Burma), whose people are generally resistant to the Gospel, God is present and at work. Check out this exciting account from missionaries who recently experienced an extraordinary breakthrough:
It’s always exciting to be a part of something new, and particularly when we look back at what God has done so far through Worship In Action we get excited for what He will continue to do. Don’t miss the launch of our new emphasis this weekend, April 5-6! I won’t give anything away just yet - you’ll have to attend the services to find out - but our new emphasis is part of our plan to take Worship In Action to each of the continents. (Well, except Antartica. You understand…) We hope that this will be one more opportunity for you to be involved in God’s great work on the earth: the process of drawing all people to himself. Don’t miss it!
